The Thin Line Between I Do and I Don't
by Nikki999
Summary: Time was ticking away. Alex either needed to get married or accept that she will be a spinster. As she makes the mistake of telling her beau Nathan her intentions he wounds her pride and her heart. Only her best friend Sean can help her take matters into her own hands. Will she get Nathan down the aisle or will Sean become the groom?
1. Intro

**A/N: I know I have two stories that are works in progress but this idea just popped into my head. Plus I figured who doesn't want a historical Salex fanfic? Let me know what you think & if I should continue but either hitting that lovely review button or PMing me. Good or bad I'm curious as to what you all will think. The rating is T for now but it could change to M soon.**

There comes a time in every woman's life when she must either find a man or settle for the life of a spinster. Alexandra Udinov was only a few years away from that moment. Alex, as she was known to all, was in the spring of her twenty-fourth year. She had plenty of youth ahead but there was always the lingering doubt that she would never find anyone, never settle down, never reproduce and fulfill her purpose as a woman.

"Maybe and somehow do not make any good."

That's what her father always said to her in his thick Russian accent. Papa was the smartest man she knew until his premature death. She was seven when he moved them to the United States from Russia. He had a great eye for anything business related and a silver tongue. Alex always imagined him there with what she thought his sound advice would be.

Thoughtfully she carried her accounting ledgers outside and laid them on the small porch table. She had made tea a few minutes before and set two glasses at the ready. By the glasses, to add contrast and show off her talent, she had put a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Pink peonies, blue hydrangeas, and stunning white roses gave a vibrant appearance to the boring table and added to the beauty of her home.

It was completely her home now since her father had no male successors. A big, yellow, Victorian house with a wide veranda and a screened in porch. It was so modern, for the times, that she was the envy of all her neighbors. Even thought it was overly decadent, Alex made it seem normal and welcoming.

The house was not the only thing she had in her life she reminded herself. She also had her father's very successful newspaper company. Although she did not know enough to completely run it she had help from a great staff she had known her whole life. She didn't know what she would do without Sean. He was her best friend. He had let her mourn while he conducted business as manager. He seemed to be the only one who understood her pain since he had lost both of his parents too. Today he had offered to come over and help her with the ledgers.

Oh God this house just like a spinster's house; she thought which made her stomach churn. The thought had come suddenly and she hated it. She made a silent promise to herself that she would never let that happen. She would have the perfect husband, perfect ring, perfect wedding, perfect children, perfect everything.

Soon after her vow, her thought drifted to Nathan. Tall, chivalrous, attractive Nathan. Her heart ached as she thought of just last night and how he rejected her. They had been dating for five months and he had yet to make his intentions clear so she asked him point blank. Her mother, or what little she remembered of her, always told her that her frankness would get her in trouble one day.

"I do declare, sir," she started to say as he unlocked her fence gate. "I do believe that you will ruin my reputation if you do not make your intentions perfectly clear. I am not as young as I used to be and an avowal of your intentions should be imminent."

He did not think for even a second; his reaction instant. Those crystal clear blue eyes of his widened and his beautiful teeth clenched as he fought the urge to draw his jaw in shock. He jumped back as if she was a venomous snake and murmured his words.

"Miss Alex, I….I mean, I never wanted to…w-well-ah" was all he choked out.

She turned bright red with humiliation. The look of pure horrification on his face caused her temper to rise. She was not the type to cry…no man was worth her tears but he was worth her anger.

"Sir I feel the need to inform you that shall this scene ever be repeated to anyone that I will ruin you. My reputation and our relationship were the only things I had going for me. Now I am without a relationship so please don't make me lose my reputation too. I trust you know the way out. Good day to you" she told him angrily before marching upstairs.

A knock on her door jolted her out of her thoughts. She glanced up to see Sean pounding loudly on the door. She answered with a smile and he removed his cap before greeting her.

"Well don't you keep getting prettier with each passing day" he said after loudly whistling. He was always quick to notice when she bought a new dress and this one was particularly flattering. Her dress was the richest color dark blue he could ever recall seeing and black lace adorned the skirt and waist in flowing lines. It truly brought out her beautiful eyes.

She laughed but it was half a decibel compared to her usually vivacious chuckle. He noticed her overcast mood right away. "What has your underwear in a bunch Udinov?" he teased.

She was used to his audacity and dirty humor so just hit his arm playfully.

"Mr. Pierce such language!" she fakely acted as if she was scandalized then smiled happily until her face portrayed her gloomy mood again.

"What's wrong? Did Nathaniel hurt you? I'll kill him" he told her while pulling her into a hug.

She didn't care if this was extremely inappropriate and informal. They had been best friends forever and it was nothing new. There was always something about his thick muscled chest that calmed her down, made her feel safe. Sometimes she swore he knew her own thoughts before she did.

"No he just wounded my pride. Let us talk business before we discuss personal matters."

He broke away from her and sat in his chair formally. He glanced at his notes only once before he gave her the breakdown. "We manufactured nearly eight hundred newspapers since yesterday. I delivered four hundred this morning and the rest are being circulated as we speak. If it keeps going well we'll be able to charge twenty cents per paper by next week" he exclaimed happily.

Alex had listened to the report halfheartedly. Usually she was all ears and very interested but the plan she thought up last night was bouncing around her brain. When he finished his report he chugged his glass of tea and she clapped slightly in a show of appreciation for his hard work.

"You know how much I value your hard work, right Sean?"

"Of course ma'am" he tipped his hat and tried to be somewhat formal despite her use of his first name. Oh how he loved the sound of his name on her lips.

"I know that you've always wanted your own business and I have been thinking of buying a new factory with how well we've been doing."

He looked at her questioningly but did not speak so she continued talking. "I have a proposal for you to further your business needs and my lifestyle."

"You know I'd do anything for you" was his only answer.

"That is why I am asking you. I trust you more than anyone not to breathe a word. I need you to pretend that you love me and if the plan needs carried on further then I will need you to propose."

He loved her as a best friend should, but upon hearing this, a bitter taste came to his mouth. Angrily he downed his glass of tea and slammed it down on the table. He knew she would be doing this to make Nathaniel jealous. He was her best friend, though, should he just do it?

"You don't have to answer yet but if you do accept I will be giving you your own newspaper factory. You wouldn't have to answer to me or have a boss at all. You can change the name and be my competitor if you want."

"Alex…but why? What happened last night?" he managed to choke out before standing and leaning uncomfortably over her porch railing.

She gave him those puppy eyes she knew he couldn't resist. "After last night he will definitely think more about marriage. Let's just say I told him to make his intentions clear and he chose wrong."

"Fine Alex I don't even want to know. If it will make you happy I will do it. Just answer me one question and promise you won't get mad" he muttered.

She nodded so he continued. "Usually the only reason to want to be married so quickly is if well…did you two…are you preg-"

She stopped him mid-word with an unladylike punch to his arm. "If you really don't want your own factory then I can get another man who is willing."

"What do I have to do Udinov? Spit it out."

"Just drop a few hints to your friends at the pub, the barber shop, on deliverers, wherever."

"How long are we carrying on with the charade? I'm not exactly the marrying type so I don't know if we can get everyone to believe it."

"Oh I'm sure we can be convincing and as for the deadline it's fall. You know I always wanted a fall wedding. I'm thinking October so that gives us ten weeks to get the job done."

"Ten weeks to make you happy? Better get started right away."

So off they went to carry out her plan. Today would begin step one.

** 3 Click it you know you want to : )**


	2. Feelings

Weddings often turned people's minds toward marriage. Alexandra Udinov had been thinking over her big day for so long that she did not need any help.

Her best friend Nikita was finally marrying her long time beau Michael this evening. After losing both their spouses to poor health problems it was only natural that they'd find each other. Whereas most people wanted to get married in the church, Nikita and Michael chose an outside venue. Marriage matches, at least those that proved to be successful, were always based upon analogous upbringings, shared ethical and spiritual values, and mutual likes and dislikes.

Alex made her way up the driveway to Michael's house and to the chosen venue. She was a little early as always but 'better early than late' she always said. Nathan was always quite the looker but when her eyes saw Sean that evening there was no arguing his handsomeness. Alex snorted suddenly at her naiveté. She was sure she appeared ridiculous to him.

Head-in-the-clouds, hoping for a future marriage, and practically begging him to help her? Thinking about it was degrading, infuriating even. She was no delicate, easily beaten down girl she told herself. They had both agreed to drop hints about their 'new relationship' and she would do just that. When everyone heard about _Miss Alex's new beau_ scandal was sure to erupt, or at least astounding gossip.

She was jolted from her thoughts as Sean appeared and started talking. "I beg your pardon?" she asked only hearing half of what he said.

"I said you look quite lovely this evening Miss Udinov" he said while giving his trademark smile sure to make any lady swoon.

Luckily for Alex she was not just 'any lady'. "Please at least drop the formality some today or I feel I shall kill myself. After all my new beau can certainly call me Miss Alex with my permission. It's bad enough I have to refer to you as Mr. Pierce until you are formally introduced" she told him bluntly.

"No I'm afraid you dying just won't due. Then I will have no best friend, or boss, and I would have to mourn over the loss of my new girlfriend. Maybe you can die in a few years when I'm less busy" he teased.

She hit him playfully and ran. He chased after her and was just about to get her when Nikita and Michael found them.

"Glad to see you two are having fun" Nikita exclaimed.

Alex did not reply, only gave her a big hug and Sean and Michael did the manly equivalent.

"We have something to ask you two" Michael told them.

"Will you be our man and woman of honor? We weren't going to have them again but we decided it just wouldn't feel right without you two."

"We would love to!" Alex happily answered for both of them and Sean nodded in agreement.

"Don't get mad at us for this one little favor we need to ask you then. Even though you look gorgeous Alex and Sean looks stunning, we'll need you to change. We bought a maid of honor dress and suit and we would really like you two to wear it."

"Fine but I'm keeping the suit" Sean only half joked.

"It's not orange is it? You know I detest orange" Alex told Nikita.

Nikita and Michael handed them their new outfits and lead them to their dressing rooms to talk and get dressed.

Sean had to admit the suit was impeccably made and very much to his liking. Single breasted, with three buttons, a peaked lapel, and matching trousers all in a lovely charcoal color. He knew Alex would be in a lovely shade of purple when he was handed the necktie and pocket square.

The fashionable silhouette was that of a confident woman, with full low chest and curvy hips. In this lovely purple dress Nikita had picked out Alex would be just that. Unlike her usual muslin dresses, this was made of a lovely silk like material and was a bright rich purple-pinkish color. Knowing how much Alex hated hats Nikita opted to let her wear a bright white orchid in her hair which brought even more attention to her gorgeous face.

"With you looking this lovely your plan shouldn't be hard at all. Sean will be all over you and Nathaniel will fall at your feet" Nikita told her. It was with Nikita's help that the plan got formulated at all. Unbeknownst to Alex, though, Nikita had another way she wanted the plan to work out.

"Go show Sean how stunning you look" she pushed her out the door as she knew Michael would be doing the same. Now for her and Michael's escape and for Alex and Sean to be alone. "Michael! Sonya called and said there is a problem with the ice sculpture. We have to go meet her since the wedding starts in four hours!" she yelled down the steps so he could hear.

"Coming" was all he said as he made his way to the front door and to his soon to be wife.

"We're counting on your two to finish setting the tables and getting the guests seated" Nikita commanded as Alex started coming down the steps.

Sean had just exited the bedroom he was using to change in when his eyes caught sight of Alex. He had always found her attractive but she was his best friend so he never took the thought any farther. Right now his mind slipped much farther as he imagined her lips pressed to his and him slowly ridding her of this lovely new dress.

Shaking himself out of this strange trance he managed to tell her his opinion as her eyes silently asked. "You look…just wow. Now I see why purple is your favorite color" he choked out then whistled.

She smiled as she looked over his appearance. "You're looking dapper as always except for one little thing" she critiqued.

He inhaled a quick breath as she reached for his tie. He didn't even bother tying it because it always came out lopsided. She seemed to be a master as she tied a wide, symmetrical, triangular, Windsor knot. The close proximity of her body in this dress was going to be the death of him.

Little did he know she was feeling quite overwhelmed right now too. He was her best friend and interaction was usually so easy but lately she started looking at him as more than a friend. 'It's just to get Nathan to marry me' she tried to convince herself.

They went off then to instruct all the help on what to do. Sean oversaw the bar preparations while Alex made sure the tables were the epitome of perfection. Seeing her boss around everyone made Sean admire her even more. She was not a fragile idiot but a beautiful woman with a great mind for business.

She knew he was watching her from afar and the notion made her heartbeat quicken. What was going on with her lately? With Nathan there was no spark, no chemistry, no longing glances, only companionship.

Her inner turmoil caused her to snap a bit harshly at one of the hired hands as he dropped a plate. "We need to be 100% careful and not screw anything up. Michael and Nikita are in real true love and most people don't ever find that. If even one thing goes wrong I will hunt you all down myself!"

Her words were edgy yet dripped with affection and good wishes. He looked into her eyes and felt a sense of pride…and unfathomable sense of pride and a new feeling too hard to describe or name.

"Let's go make sure all of the marriage documents are taken care of" he told her as he took her arm and led her inside. As soon as they were inside the safety of Michael's office and away from prying eyes he pushed her back against the desk. It was not until that moment he realized he planned to kiss her. He knew though he could not.

He tried to step away but she grabbed his arm. "Sean, why did you stop?"

"I think I'm getting a little too confused on what is part of our plan to make Nathan jealous and what is…um…genuine. Plus I do not know if I could stop myself if something started."

"I trust you. Think of it as practice. We don't want our first public kiss to be sloppy and look fake."

That was all the encouragement he needed He had intended for a gentle touch with little passion but something erupted between the two. She kissed him back with equal if not more strength. He took a much needed breath before deepening the kiss. Her hands tangled themselves in his hair while he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer.

That's all it took to make him inappropriately hard and she gasped in pure pleasure as she felt him grind against her. He stopped upon feeling her too close for comfort. He jerked away immediately and apologized.

"I'm sorry Alex that shouldn't have happened…I lost control."

"I'm not sorry. Now we will be able to control ourselves more in public so that doesn't happen. Besides, it was beyond anything I'd imagined" she admitted.

"Hasn't Nathaniel ever kissed you like that?"

"No not ever like that."

A knock at the door interrupted as they heard Nikita's voice. "What are you two doing? Stop making plans or canoodling or whatever you are doing. We have a wedding to finish."

They both turned guilty and straightened out their appearances.

Seeing Nikita with her back away from them they smiled at each other but the situation was not as funny as it should have been.


	3. Confrontation

Reverend Thomas began explaining the duties of marriage as if the couple had never heard them before. The duty of two people, their duty to god, blah, blah, blah. Sean had heard this junk a million times. He was happy for his friends but this was dragging on forever.

He shot a surreptitious look in Alex's direction and she hid her giggle with a cough and a smirk. She thought she'd be caught up in the glamour of the wedding and the pastor's lovely words but even she found herself anxious for it to end.

"Please join hands and have your matron and best man present the rings" Reverend Thomas told the couple while giving Alex and Sean dirty looks.

With no stumbling, stuttering, or regrets Nikita and Michael breezed through the vows. Reverend Thomas pronounced them man and wife happily. Applause broke out some genuine, some jealous and fake then it was over.

Sean, catching sight of Nathan skillfully ushered Alex toward the door. To his dismay they were surrounded by Alex's best friends.

"Sonya and Jaden, always a pleasure" he poured on the charm.

"Alex you look stunning" Sonya told Alex but was staring directly at Sean.

_Ah this must be a test_ he thought. "I told her that myself this morning. I think I may have even thrown out a swear word or two. Hopefully the lord will forgive me" he joked charmingly.

He must have passed because both women giggled delightedly.

Alex always enjoyed seeing her friends but now she had caught sight of Nathan. "If you'll excuse us ladies. Mr. Pierce owes me a dance." She took his arm and, with some difficulty, led him away.

The wedding reception was to be held at The Division Hotel across the street from the church. After the meal there of course would be dancing. The room where they were to have supper was unlike anything Sean had ever seen before. He was sure it was unique but he never liked to go to many events unless Alex forced him.

The pair had found a table, surrounded by all their friends, but Alex was quickly ushered away by Nikita to help her change. Sean found himself watching her nervously and waiting to pounce if Nathan said anything rude or tried to confront her.

Having seen Nathan at the church he was sure he was in attendance. He wondered if Nathan would cause a scene. Certainly he would have Alex's back and protect her from a ruined reputation.

The celebrating died down some as the couple cut the cake. The band then struck up a waltz and Nikita and Michael were quick to pull Sean and Alex to the dance floor.

Sean and Alex had danced with each other for years and it came naturally to them. Surprisingly, she let out a gasp as his hand touched hers and electricity sparked. This feeling intensified as his left hand grabbed her small waist. Sean noticed but chose to ignore it as he scoped the room like a trained spy.

"Have you seen _him_?" Sean asked her getting a little too close than was considered acceptable.

"Perhaps he saw us and we scared him away" Alex guessed.

The couple continued to laugh and enjoy themselves for quite a while. The euphoria did not last though as Sean felt a tap on his shoulder.

"May I cut in?" an all too familiar voice asked.

"I must insist that you don't Nathaniel" Sean said through his teeth trying to remain somewhat polite.

"I believe that would be up to the lady" he replied resentfully.

"Well the lady prefers her current partner. You always did have two left feet Nathaniel" Alex said rudely causing Sean to chuckle.

Nathan stomped away in a huff and the couple went back to enjoy their cake.

"Mmm" Sean practically moaned upon tasting the sweet cake.

"It is perfectly sweet" Alex agreed.

"A man who likes sweets? Perhaps we should perfect your baking skills Alex" Sonya joked.

Birkhoff interrupted being the blunt man all knew him to be. "So let's not beat around the bush. You two have gone from business partners and best friends to lovers now?"

Sean saw Alex turn beat red so he decided to explain. "Miss Alex has decided to be nice enough to indulge me. I have fancied her for years and her recent split from Nathaniel gave me an opening that I capitalized on. You as our _friends_ should be happy for us."

Birkhoff was very happy upon hearing this. "A toast then to the new couple… Pardon my language ladies, but it is about damn time!"

After a few more hours it had gotten late and the couple said their goodbyes to start on the journey home.

When they arrived at her door he removed his cap. "I had a lovely time tonight Alex. I'm sorry Nathaniel had to ruin it."

"Me too and I'm glad you charmed our friends. He didn't ruin it, everything is going smoothly."

"Well goodnight" he said turning around but then caught sight of Nathan.

"Wait Alex there's something I forgot."

She barely had time to react as he grabbed her and kissed her passionately leaving a very jealous Nathan fuming.


End file.
